“I am so extremely proud of my team right now,” said head coach Julie Woodward. “Washington State is such a traditionally strong team and we belonged on that field today. I think it would be hard for me to pick out one person to highlight. It was a day in which the entire team was special and rose to the occasion. It does not surprise me one bit; that’s just the type of people and athletes they are.”
In the 108th minute, Howe dribbled past a pair of defenders and beat the goalkeeper in the far post for the unassisted game-winner.
The Redhawks struck first in the 33rd minute as Stephanie Verdoia (Salt Lake City, Utah) dribbled past a defender and beat the WSU keeper from eight yards out to give SU a 1-0 lead through halftime.
With just over 10 minutes left in regulation, in the 80th minute, Beau Bremer crossed the ball in to Mariah Powers who tied the game, 1-1, which would ultimately send the match into overtime.
Verdoia led Seattle U with four shots, two on goal as SU outshot WSU, 12-10.
In goal, Brianna Smallidge (Port Orchard, Wash.) made five saves in the complete game victory while Gurveen Clair made three saves in the complete game loss.
The match marks the first ever win for the Redhawks in the NCAA Tournament as well as the first victory over the Cougars all-time.
Seattle U advances to the Second Round and will face South Carolina, with date and time TBA. Stay tuned to GoSeattleU.com for all the latest updates on the Redhawks on their NCAA Tournament run.